From the Flames
by Arachniphobia16
Summary: Rated M for a reason! A result of my boredome and view on humans. There is a joke in here about ADD people and throwing babies at houses so if you'd be insulted then do not read this.


**Be warned right now. This is NOT a lighthearted story. I'm probably going to cry if I reread it. I cried while writing it. Be forewarned my twisted mind plays out here spectacularly. I tried to give it a bit of a happy ending. I was bored and well...this is what you get. Tell me your reactions and that will tell me if I did a good job and you're feeling what I want you to feel.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story one single bit.

From the Flames

There was a small crowd gathered in the underground infirmary of the place five mutants called home. Tears flowed freely as they gazed upon the one lying so still on the bed. Bandages covering the burns on his face, hands, feet, everywhere. They had scrubbed the charred blackness off of his plastron and carapace and now they simply waited, hoped, prayed desperately for a response, but they received none. His brown eyes stared upward with a deadness that would frighten even the toughest man.

"Catatonic." Donatello had said as he looked at his tough, hardened brother hoping to see that defiant spark in his eyes instead of the deadness he saw now.

Everyone couldn't help but recount the night's events slowly wondering if there was anything they could have done to prevent what their brother, son, and friend had been through that night.

It had started with a simple fight.

Leo could no longer remember what they were fighting over. Just simply that they were screaming their lungs out and at any moment someone would snap and the fight would become physical. His brothers and even April and Casey had jumped in and were trying to calm the two down, but nothing prevailed.

It was right around the time that Splinter got up to intervene that Leo broke everything with a few choice words.

"Why can't you just leave your bad attitude at the door!"

"FINE!" Raphael had screamed in return. "It's going to the door!"

With that the hotheaded turtle stormed out the door and into the cold dampness of New York City's sewer system.

The lair grew silent and Leonardo bit his lip at the sight of the disappointed look he got from Splinter as the old rat sat back down.

"I'm gonna go after him." Casey said as he moved toward the door.

"That's not a good idea right now." Donny said as he laid a three fingered hand on Casey's shoulder. "He'll just run away from you. You won't even find him."

"I gotta do something!"

"The best thing to do right now is to leave him alone."

Casey cast one last long and mournful look at the door before walking away and sitting back down on the couch feeling utterly useless.

Michelangelo, ever the clown, bounced around the room attempting to lighten the mood.

"Who's hungry!" He shouted out as he bounded toward the kitchen.

Everyone stared on in horror as he ran into the kitchen to prepare a meal and just like that the argument was forgotten as everyone leaped from the couch to prevent another food catastrophe.

There was a food fight!

Practically anything messy they could get their hands on was flung across the kitchen at the opposing side. The two teams consisted of Mikey and Leo on one and Donny and Casey on the other. Splinter and April just looked on with smiles and thoughts of _'I'm not cleaning that up'_. Through the chaos supper was eventually made.

A hearty meal of roast chicken seasoned with sage rosemary and a little pepper. The skin was removed and layed on top to become crispy and both the meat and skin was rubbed with salt. They were cooked in the oven at about 400 in chicken broth. Mashed potatoes joined the meal. Boiled until soft and mashed by hand. With a little sour cream mixed in for extra flavor, but they had to have a vegetable for it to be a proper meal Leonardo insisted and according to him potatoes were a starch not a veggie. So, a big helping of fried asparagus was thrown in. Fried in butter and olive oil and seasoned with pepper and lemon juice, cooked until soft.

For dessert Leo made chocolate chip cookie batter and they baked while the main meal was eaten. Some portions of the meal were set aside for Raphael when he returned. The food fight mess having been cleaned up as supper had been in the making.

The meal had been enjoyed and laughs echoed around the table as the family joked.

"Okay, I've got one!" Mikey shouted through the laughter.

The table quieted down to listen to another joke. The mood, to say the least, had lightened considerably.

"How many babies does it take to paint a house?"

"I dunno Mike how many?" Leo was still smiling from the last one and it showed in his voice.

"Depends on how hard you throw them" Laughter was the response and Splinter only shook his head.

"That's horrible Mike!" April shouted out through her giggling.

"Okay I've got one now." Donny burst out and the table once again quieted.

"How many ADD people does it take to change a light-bulb?" (No offense to ADD people.)

The table was quiet but questions hung in everyone's eyes.

"Well..." Don began, holding his finger up as if he was going to inform them of how easy the answer had been, but suddenly he simply spaced out and stared into the distance. "Let's go ride bikes!"

Everyone laughed yet again.

"Do you remember when Mikey actually did that! Only it was his skateboard." Leo chuckled.

"Yeah I do, 'cause I had to change the light-bulb!" Donny shouted back.

"Then Raph came running through the room, tripped, and knocked the ladder over!" Leo finished.

The laughter around the room died slowly and an ensemble of sighs ran around the table.

"You think he's okay?" Mikey asked.

"Of course he's okay. He's Raph. He could break every bone in his body and still drag himself home to fight with Leo some more." Casey said with a somewhat false grin. For no one knew better than him how Raph's temper could get him into tight spots.

Leo looked over at the cookies cooling on the counter top and reached out to lay a hand on one. They were cooled.

"Who wants cookies?" He asked as he stood up.

Everyone nodded and cleared off the table and Leonardo placed all of the cookies on a large plate, took out six glasses, and the jug of milk. They all wandered over to the sofa and dove into the cookies. Just as it was with supper a few of the cookies had been set aside for the one turtle who was not present.

The room was quiet all except for the sound of the television. With each blink the channels were flipped by Mikey and before long he had settled on a News Channel. They listened for a while but eventually tuned it out to hold up a conversation.

Until, that is, a new report hit the station.

Donatello immediately picked up on the broadcast and quieted everyone down to listen.

"It appears that nine-one-one got an urgent call from a man who was frantic to receive help, but the help was not intended for him. Upon arriving on the scene police found the grisly remains of a suicide cult. They had gathered together and set themselves ablaze. The man who called, the apparent witness to the horrific scene, has not yet been found. We received an update that a small child was found outside the building. The infant girl received minimal burns and is expected to live with the side-effect of severe asthma for the rest of her life. Here is a recording of the call that was received only moments ago. Please be warned, what you are about to hear...might shock you."

The six waited as a new screen popped up, displaying what was said in white words on the brown background. It started with the operators voice.

"_Nine-One-One. What is your emergency?"_

The response was fast heavy breathing.

"_Hello."_

"_I...I need help. Please...please send someone."_ The man was obviously crying but that wasn't what drew everyone's attention.

The six listened harder.

"_Sir what is your emergency?"_

"_They...they set themselves on fire. OH GOD! Please send someone! Send someone now!" _He was hysterical. Sobbing and screaming.

"Oh my god." April whimpered. "Oh my god."

"It can't be." Leo.

"No, please no." Mikey cried.

"That's Raph's voice." Casey's voice was but a whisper.

They continued to listen.

"_Who set themselves on fire?"_

"_I...I dunno. I dunnoIdunnoIdunno. GOD PLEASE SEND SOMEONE! Please..."_

"_Sir please calm down. Can you tell me where you are?"_

"_Somewhere on 23rd street. God...I...I can hear them screaming. Oh God there's a kid in there!"_

"_Sir please stay calm."_

"_I can hear the kid crying! It's screaming so loud!"_

"_Stay calm help is on the way."_

"_I...I...I have to get it out of there. I can't take the screaming."_

"_Sir stay where you are."_

"_If I don't move now the kid'll be dead!"_

"_Sir...sir...sir!"_

The call had ended.

The rest of the report didn't matter, in fact they weren't even there for it. They had leaped off of their seats and were out the door before the anchorwoman had the chance to say another word. They knew Raphael wouldn't be down on the streets so they took to the rooftops. April fell behind after a while but she insisted that they leave her behind. It was then that everyone split up and went to search the city in different directions.

Who knows how long it had been. Raph could be anywhere. Splinter accompanied April back to the lair in case Raphael headed home.

It was Leo who found him. Curled up in the shadows of a crumbling building. He was still crying and holding his hands out in front of him. Leo knew immediately that they were burned. After all he had run into the fire to save the child. Probably reached through flames to get her. Or pulled something that was burning off of her, like her mother's body.

His breathing was raspy. From the smoke. Raphael had been frantic on the recording. When you're that scared logic slips away and you do what you have to to get out alive or help.

Leo called it in to his family and sat down in front of Raph.

"Raph?"

Raph's eyes shot up and when Leo saw the horror behind those eyes he cried.

Cried because if he had held his tongue this wouldn't have happened. His brother wouldn't be shaking and quivering before him. Guilt filled him and then...Raph spoke.

"They just...tossed a match and everything went up. They...they didn't even move. Just screamed."

Leo nodded to say he was listening.

"Some guy was saying stuff. I don't remember what. Then he poured some shit over everyone with a ladle I...I think it was...gasoline now that I look back on it. Everyone acted like it was the best thing ever. Then he poured the rest on himself and...and...lit a match...and threw it on himself." Raph's voice was barely above a whisper.

Raph was quiet the rest of the time as the two waited for everyone else to appear.

It took a while to get Raph back to the lair. Donny didn't want to aggravate his burns. They wound up having to carry him because the bottoms of his feet were burned so badly.

They laid him down on one of the beds and it was then that he slipped away. Not even flinching when Donatello treated his burns.

That was where the group found themselves now. Just staring at Raphael as he gazed blankly at the ceiling.

"You saved her Raph. She's okay." Leo had said through his tears to try and bring his brother back.

When he finally did come out of it he wasn't much different. He would avoid everyone's gaze and stay silent to their questions.

When he slept that was a different story. You could hear him screaming all throughout the lair.

They tried to keep him well away from fire. Every time he saw it he would have a flashback and all they could do was hold him as he screamed.

One sign that the old Raph was still there was that he refused help of any kind when it came to walking. Even if the pain forced tears from his eyes.

It was like this for a while, until one day Mikey was listening to the radio and could only pick up one station because of a mild storm.

It was Newsboys playing. No one really payed attention to it. All, that is, except Raphael.

_Oh yeah_

_Oh yeah_

_Oh yeah_

_Oh they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high _

_Now your free to fly_

_I'm carrying a millstone malaise_

_It's been pulling down your gaze_

_You pound the pavement, it don't give or care_

_This weight ain't yours to bear_

_Why you holding grudges in old jars_

_Why you wanna show off all your scars_

_What's it gonna take to lay a few burdens down_

_It's a beautiful sound_

_When they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high_

_Now your free to fly_

_When that muffled sigh_

_Says your barely getting bye_

_Cut your burdens loose _

_And just simplify, simplify_

_This is not your floor_

_You're going higher than before_

_Drop the weight now_

_Wait for the lookout guide, look outside_

_As they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high_

_And now you're free to fly_

_You've gotta lay that burden down_

_You've gotta lay that burden down_

_It's time to leave your burdens in a pyre_

_Set a bonfire_

_'Cause when you lay your burdens down_

_When you drop them burdens_

_What a free-fall_

_What a thrill_

_Bury them all _

_In a landfill_

_Oh oh, they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh, they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high_

_And now you're free to fly_

_Oh, they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh, they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high_

_And now you're free to fly_

_Oh, they all fall like a million raindrops_

_Falling from a blue sky_

_Kissing your cares goodbye_

_Oh oh, they all fall like a million pieces_

_A ticker tape parade high_

_And now you're free to fly_

He thought long and hard about that song. Well into the third when he looked up and saw his brothers staring at him. He lifted a hand to his face to find it wet.

No matter how fucked up he was now he still didn't like crying in front of anyone, but instead of getting angry he straightened himself up looked each of his brothers in the eye and said:

"You know what? I think I'll be okay."

**There we go. A result of my own boredom. Yeah...what's that say about me. I'm just trying to show everyone how truly fucked up this world is. Weigh the good vs the bad and the bad usually wins out. What does that say about human nature. Sometimes I'm disgusted that I am human when I look at the news. What about you guys? What kind of horrors has human nature left on you? The ending was less than I'd hoped for. It wasn't supposed to have a good ending but I decided I'd done enough to your minds.**


End file.
